


Jack the Burglar

by cablesscutie



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, M/M, team attic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-08-11 17:27:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7901398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cablesscutie/pseuds/cablesscutie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bitty wakes up in the middle of the night to find NHL superstar Jack Zimmermann struggling out from underneath a pile of boxes in his attic.  Somehow, he is not dreaming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jack the Burglar

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by @zimmboners on tumblr. You can find the original post here: http://zimmboners.tumblr.com/post/148414828175/check-please-au-where-eric-bittle-hears-a-strange

Eric Bittle woke to the sound of boxes crashing in his attic. He jolted upright, pulse hammering in his throat. Throwing the covers off, he scrambled out of bed and searched frantically for a weapon to fight off the ax murderer/wild animal ransacking his house. All he managed was a goalie stick left behind by the previous resident of his room, but it would have to do.

Creeping around the squeaky floorboards, Eric made his way upstairs. The sound of shuffling cardboard and a distinctly male voice was audible on the other side of the door. Steeling his nerves (and bracing for death), he let himself into the attic, stick hefted onto his shoulder.

The man, although struggling to escape a mountain of U-Haul boxes, was visibly large and muscular. Eric moved to strike fast, hoping he could knock the intruder unconscious long enough to get away. The man under the boxes didn’t notice Eric until his shadow fell over him.

The next moment seemed to happen in slow motion. Eric swung. He and the intruder made eye-contact. Something about the man’s face registered as familiar. The man caught the goalie stick.

“What the hell?!” the man yelled, eyes wide and startled. Eric blinked at him.

“Are you - Excuse _me,_ but you _broke into my house_ and y’all have the _nerve_ to-”

“I’m an alumni!” That. Didn’t make any sense. But also...now that he mentioned it, Eric did remember seeing this guy’s face around since moving to Samwell. On posters in Faber. And...on Sports Center yesterday? And -

“You’re Jack Zimmermann!” Eric blurted.

“Um, yes? And you are?” Hand planted on his hip, Eric scowled down at Jack.

“Eric Bittle, the person whose property you are currently trespassing on.”

“But I - the hockey team owns the property?”

“The -” Eric’s face fell and he let go of the goalie stick to offer Jack a hand up. Jack, although baffled by the sudden change of heart, took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, hon, but the hockey team doesn’t live here anymore.”

“What?” Eric’s heart broke at the naked loss written on Jack’s face.

“It needed too many repairs they couldn’t afford, and so rather than see it condemned, they sold it.”

“But...the Haus was always like that.” The natural droopiness of Jack’s eyes made his expression even sadder.

“Well, their lawyer graduated, and then so did their handyman, and there was only so long things could be ignored.” Eric laid a comforting hand on Jack’s forearm, squeezing just enough to give a distinct impression of the smallness of his fingers. “I’m so sorry.” Jack gave him a bittersweet smile.

“It’s not your fault.”

“Still.” Jack looked down to where Eric’s fingers still held him, and Eric quickly let go. “You must’ve driven a ways and I don’t think I can get back to sleep any time soon. Can I offer you some coffee?”

“Oh, no, I shouldn’t impose. I mean. More than I have. By, you know. Breaking into your house in the middle of the night. Sorry about that by the way.”

“It’s really no trouble. And it’d be nice to have company. I have to go to work in a few hours anyway, so I promise I’m not losing too much sleep.”

“Um, alright. Thank you.” Eric smiled brightly and turned to the stairs, Jack following close behind.

* * *

 

“So...what do you do that you have to go to work so early?” Jack asked, wrapping his fingers around the steaming mug of coffee he was handed.

“I own the bakery in town square. That’s why I wanted to move into Samwell instead of a few towns over like most of the businessowners ‘round here. The extra half hour of sleep is worth living on a college campus. I can sleep through damn near anything.”

“Except a home invasion apparently,” Jack said into his coffee, lips twitching just a hint at the corners. Eric laughed, loud and surprised and musical.

“Yes, I suppose I now have that peace of mind.”

“Wait so if you have a bakery then...what happened to Annie’s?”

“It’s still there!” Eric rushed to assure him. “I actually have a deal going with them. I sell their coffee, they stock my muffins and mini pies and such.”

“Oh, good,” Jack breathed a sigh of relief. “For a second I was worried you were going to take over _all_ of my good college memories.”

“Well, if I ever win the lottery I might just try to buy Faber. The things I could do with unlimited ice time,” Eric looked to the window with a dramatically dreamy look on his face.

“Do you play? Hockey that is.”

“A little. Just a co-ed league in high school, but I went to college on a figure skating scholarship.”

“Wow, you must’ve been really good.”

“Mmm maybe more like ‘as good as a southern state school is gonna get’. I wasn’t, like, gunning for the Olympics or anything.” Jack somehow managed to look warm and sincere, even without smiling.

“I bet you were fantastic.” Eric’s cheeks warmed.

“Why thank you, Mr. Zimmermann. That means a lot.”

“Jack.”

“Hm?”

“Call me Jack. I, um, think we can at least consider ourselves on a first name basis after this, eh?”

“Alright, Jack. Then you can call me Bitty. It’s what all my friends use.”

* * *

 

Jack was telling Bitty the history of the decade-old feud between the men’s hockey team and the men’s lacrosse team when Bitty’s phone started vibrating and blaring music.

“Oh my!” Bitty yelped, reaching to turn it off. “I guess time got away from us, I oughtta be getting dressed for work.” Jack looked at his own phone, and sure enough, it was already 4:30.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you.”

“No, no! It was wonderful talking to you. Much better than I thought this night was going to go.” Bitty pushed away from the table, and Jack stood with him, reaching to collect their coffee mugs and the plates Bitty had served them pie on after the coffee pot ran empty. “I wish I could chat longer, but the bread’s not gonna bake itself.” Bitty bit his lip, looking like he genuinely regretted having to leave. Jack didn’t want to go home either. He had the day off, and without sleeping the night before, the rest of the day stretched out far too long for him to imagine spending alone.

“Maybe I could help you?” Jack heard himself offer.

“You - Oh, you don’t - I couldn’t -”

“I mean, I’m not much of a baker, but I could...knead dough? Or...lift things?” Jack didn’t really know why he wanted so badly for Bitty to accept his offer, but he definitely wasn’t ready to go back to Providence, back to his empty apartment, and hounding reporters, and a life entirely colored by hockey. He’d come back to Samwell in hopes that whatever magic had helped him find himself there would ground him again, and sitting at Bitty’s kitchen table all night, like he and Shitty used to do way back, he’d felt it start to work.

“You really don’t have to,” Bitty said, shifting his feet.

“I want to,” Jack insisted. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Well, in that case I suppose I’d better get ready quick so I’ll have time to show you the ropes,” Bitty gave him that sunny smile again, and Jack felt the warmth of it wash over him, all the way to his toes.

* * *

 

As it turned out, Jack made a wonderful baking assistant. He was precise in measuring out the ingredients for the bread dough. He made short work of carrying in the produce delivery so that Bitty could continue running trays of muffins and croissants in and out of the oven. And of course, those muscular arms kneading the bread dough was a sight to make Bitty weak in the knees. It also seemed that Jack had an affinity for arranging the display cases.

“I do some photography in my free time,” Jack shrugged when Bitty praised his eye for color and balance. Palpitations. Bitty was having heart palpitations. Bitty also had him set the giant coffee percolators going, and before he knew it the morning prep was done. Bread orders baked, bagged, and waiting to be picked up, cases at the ready, breakfast pastries cooling, and all with a half hour to spare.

Bitty had expected Jack to head back to Providence once the bakery was opened for the day, but much to his surprise, Jack didn’t seem particularly inclined to hit the road. Instead, he kept asking Bitty for small tasks, and busied himself boxing up orders, refilling the cases from the trays Bitty kept churning out, and wiping down the tables in between customers. It was strange to see the same single-minded focus Jack put into hockey applied to keeping Bitty Bites tidy, but he had to admit, the extra help was nice. Since he was still just starting up, Bitty himself was in charge of almost everything. The most staff he could afford for now was a couple of students that came in to tend the register mid-day so Bitty could bake to replenish the displays.

They kept up their talk from the morning as well. Bitty finally heard the great inciting incident of the Lax Bro Feud while his lemon filling simmered, and he filled Jack in on the ongoing saga of the Bittle-Phelps Jam Debacle as they shared a bowl of blueberries. Sharing space with Jack felt so familiar, and Bitty found himself wanting to keep Jack close. The companionship helped to distract him from the worry that crept up on him during every lull, the gnawing fear that this time it wasn’t just a lull, it was the beginning of the end, nothing would work out.With Jack around there was never time to get too far inside his own head. There were always new things to teach him, stories to trade. Having someone else to orbit around kept him moving past it all.

* * *

 

It was an especially busy day, and only partly due to the entire hockey team coming by to say hello and a few other students trickling in for autographs once they heard Jack was there. Despite the extra pastries he was able to produce, Bitty still had hardly anything leftover at the end of the night. What there was, Bitty insisted Jack pack up and bring to share with his teammates.

“Well Jack, I have to say, I have never gotten the place ready this quickly before, thank you.” Bitty enthused, pouring them both large to-go cups and plating up banana nut muffins. He took a seat at one of the small cafe tables and gestured for Jack to join him. “I can’t remember I’ve had time to sit down for my breakfast.”

“You’re more than welcome. I’m just glad I could make last night up to you somehow.”

“There really was no need, it was a simple mistake,” Bitty assured him, reaching over patting Jack’s hand. When he went to pull back, Jack reached without thinking and twined their fingers together instead, resting them back on the tabletop. Bitty’s eyes widened and his cheeks flushed. Jack could feel his own face growing warm.

“I liked talking to you,” Jack admitted. “I...wasn’t really ready to leave.” Bitty leaned close over the table top and whispered conspiratorially,

“I wasn’t really ready for you to leave either.” Jack turned their hands over to inspect Bitty’s long, thin fingers, the way his palm looked so small against Jack’s, but how it was still work roughened and strong.

“I still don’t want to leave,” he admitted, looking back up to Bitty’s eyes.

“Then don’t leave,” Bitty told him, easy as anything. As he leaned forward to press his lips to Bitty’s, Jack let himself believe that maybe it was as easy as wanting it.

**Author's Note:**

> And of course they live happily ever after, and when they move in together, Bitty opens another bakery in Providence and gives the Haus back to the Samwell Men's Hockey Team, the end!
> 
> Thanks for reading, you can find me on tumblr as @latticeontop <3


End file.
